Hello my husband just accepted a job offer in Tempe and I have been doing research on what areas around there offer the best schools for my children. We are moving from Nevada and understand the whole living in the desert and you stay inside for 2-3 months in the hot months. I have read several posts about Gilbert being a really good place to raise your family. I need to know if it is a safe place. As I said my husbands job will be in Tempe and would like to keep the commute under 45 min. I am looking for some insight on good areas to live in that have low crime rates and a school rating. Right now I am using a great school for my focal point in finding a place to locate to might but if a town is out there that might be a better choice please let me know...

I have lived in Gilbert for almost 10 years now, and have nothing but great things to say about it. I built my own business here in Gilbert providing custom welding, pool fencing, custom gates and fences, along with custom auto fabrication and welding and absolutely love my customers in Gilbert and the surrounding east valley. It is a great place to live and raise a family, and the reason that I have stayed and kept my business here. www.guerrillafab.com

In the Phoenix area, we have two seasons, not so hot and HOT! My personal aesthetic taste is for a place that has trees, water, and outdoor recreation no matter what time of year it may be. I liken our summers to the harsh winters in other parts of the country. We are literally indoors for the majority of 6 months because it is just too hot to be outside.

I am a long-time resident of AZ (30+ years) and wanted to share my experience with folks considering a move here. Arizona's geography and weather make it an excellent destination if you are an active person willing to get off the couch and take responsibility for your happiness. The politics and culture here have often made me very sad (very conservative to the point of being mean-spirited) but I remain hopeful that growth and economic necessity will facilitate a more progressive attitude.
WEATHER. IMHO, we have 6 months of absolutely perfect weather. No hurricanes, tornados, floods, humidity or anything else to complain about. Then we have 4 months of warm weather. The days can be quite warm (into the 90s) but the mornings and evenings are crazy-beautiful. Perfect for dining alfresco or getting outdoors for walks, sports, etc (and we have no mosquitos!). Then there are 2 months of sheer hell (july & august). The monsoons hit this time, driving the humidity up to about 30% + high temps of 107 and above. This is the time to hit the pool, movies, museums, etc. It's not pleasant but escape is possible!!! Payson is just 1 hour away from the eastern cities and offers temps 15 to 20 degrees cooler. Drive a little further, into Flagstaff, Prescott or Show Low and wow, you are in heaven again. These are mountain cities where you can camp, hike, fish, raft, boat, shop, stay in hotels, visit festivals, etc. So there's lots of respite from the heat... but only if you are willing to do more than open your front door.
SCHOOLS. Mixed reviews here. Overall, I don't think that AZ ranks very high compared to the rest of the nation for our education system. Sadly, our current governor (Brewer) and her friends
have slashed school budgets, resulting in higher class sizes & teacher turnover. The good news is that AZ is a school choice state so you can send your child to any public or charter school regardless of where you live. I live in Gilbert, which has a strong reputation for excellent schools. However, I opted for a charter school over our neighborhood school because of much smaller class sizes, an emphasis on STEM curriculum and more hands-on project based learning. If you are willing to research and visit different schools (and make the drive), I'm pretty sure you'll find a school you can be happy with. As for higher ed, AZ was for a long time limited in choices. We had 3 major universities, a good community college system, but nothing else. Now a number of smaller, liberal arts 4-year colleges are setting up satellite campuses here which broadens our choices.
JOBS. Honestly, I can't speak much about this b/c I've been a stay-at-home mom for 5 years now. On the positive side, Phoenix is a really big city which usually translates to more opps. On the negative side, our economy has relied heavily on construction and real estate, both very fragile in times of trouble. I know there has been an effort to attract more tech and bio-tech jobs. Healthcare is strong b/c of our attrativeness to retirees.
POLITICS. AZ has always been a conservative state. Growing up here, it was mostly Goldwater conservatism (ie, I stay out of your business and you stay out of mine). But the past 10-20 years has brought a more socially and religiously conservative agenda to our state, which I think mimics conservatism at the national level. Issues like illegal immigration and gay marriage can get downright nasty. Our sheriff (joe arpaio) is nationally known for his John Wayne-esque approach to law enforcement, which is embarassing to many of us, but not all. He's been comfortably re-elected many times. Having said that, there is enough of our former "live and let live" attitude here that I, as a Democrat and liberal, can live (mostly) comfortably here. If being in a more progressive, open minded city is important to you, take a look @ Phoenix and Tempe as your relocation spot. If you don't care so much, then any suburb will do.
CULTURE. Active, health-conscious, a solid arts community (but definitely not San Francisco!), diversity is not huge but what we have is visible. One thing I really like here is that it's easy to meet new people if you try. AZ is a high-migration state, which means there are lots of transplants here so newcomers are not a big deal. Some of our family have moved to parts of the country with low migration and have had a terrible time building a community of friends. Not everyone is super friendly but with a little effort (look at meetup.com to find groups built around your interests & hobbies) you should find this workable.
In summary, AZ (Phoenix area) is a big city with many sub communities co-existing (fairly well). If you are an active, health conscious person, you'll find a community here. If you are a super conservare ative religious person, you'll find a community here. If you are gay, lesbian, transgendered or asexual, you'll find a community here. If you are a solitary soul who prefers to be left alone, you'll find a community here. And so on. I love AZ for its beautiful Sonoran deserts and bountiful opps to play outdoors. I don't love the politics, esp recently. But overall, if you are moving here, I think you can be optimistic that it's a good place to be! Just please don't ask us if we still have tumbleweeds blowing down the street... sheesh.

I love living in sunny Arizona. There is plent of great things about Arizona that I love the people are so freindly and welcoming. There is plenty of shopping close by. My family loves to go for bike rides on the near by paths.
We have the Grand Canyon, Golfing, Great winters, so much to see and do right here in our back yard!
Becky Hansen

From mid-May through at least early October, it is blisteringly scorching here. Dry heat or not, it is seriously unpleasant. You will find that up to about 107 isn't too bad, but after that -- which covers June through early August -- it is godawful; even at 3 a.m. it is 100 degrees. Of course, the payoff is the other seven months of the year, when the weather is blissfully fabulous. Miss the seasons? Drive an hour north for snow in Prescott or two hours to snowboard in Flagstaff.

Gilbert is very residential and family oriented, which I love,
as well as having great schools with fantastic programs for
children with autism! My daughter attends Highland Junior High
and her teacher and aides are so caring and loving towards her!
There's also lots of great restaurants, shopping and a fabulous
outdoor mall (San Tan Mall)! Two thumbs up for Gilbert!!!

I have been reading reviews about gilbert and I must reword correctly what people are saying about the town.
I was born and raised Gilbert, same house my whole life, gilbert schools. I am not mormon, and liberal. Yes, complete opposite.
1. No, gilbert is not a horrible place to raise kids, ARIZONA IS. Gilbert does not have array surrounding it that makes in 115 in the summers, all the other cities are hot too. Arizona is hot and sucks. No one is out playing because its freaking hot, I would rather not die of heat stroke... but that is just personal. Gilbert has a lot of great family activities and more family things. great FAMILY town. especially if you are conservative you will love it. More of a liberal, or a teenager that likes to party? Move to tempe or chandler.
to user name gilbert mom, ARIZONA IS NOT A PLACE TO RAISE KIDS!
2. Hate crimes? Honestly I have not heard of anyone beat up for no reason unless they were asking for it. Trust me, even though a ton of people live here now, people still seem to know everyone and everything. Nonsense like this would make news... cause there is nothing else to talk about. I am a teenage girl, a cheerleader (just giving you an image) and i would feel perfectly safe walking anywhere pretty much by myself at the middle of the night. But this would never happen cause there is some store on every corner and everyone has a car. Gilbert does not have a ghetto, we have an older area that looks kinda scary, but is mostly just filled with old people that have lived there forever.
3. I personal hate the cops cause they always break up the good parties and give out mics. But they have nothing else to do cause there is like no crime. If you call for help, you get a firetruck, ambulance, and like 5 cops. If you dont want to get caught, you get 15 cop cars. they are ALL over the place. If you got stuck on the side of the street. find a main road, no worries a cop will be there to get you in trouble in no time... or even out of trouble. Dont be stupid and start drama, thats how you get yourself in trouble. PS. 99% get caught, so dont try stupid sh*t.
4. Cultural. Yeah 90% of the kids are sheltered, but whoever said thats such a horrible thing. There are lots of mexicans, and the honors system in the high schools are filled with plenty of asians and middle easterns. Mormons are there own race too. And we have black people that dress like they are ghetto, but they live in gilbert... thats all i have to say. Yeah its mostly white and mexican, but its arizona, what do you expect?
The place is quiet at night, and the mormons annoy me a lot, and the hardcore christians which consist of almost everyone, but it keeps the town pretty safe, rich, and quiet.
Last, gilbert is a great safe place with awesome schools to raise a family. Yes, it can be boring and yes the mormons run the place. But what do you expect, you live in the middle of the desert? What else did you think you would find.

You should have seen my garden this year! Understandably it is different from back east, it IS the desert. But you can figure it out. You should have seen our crops of watermelon, squash, eggplant, lettuce, carrots, radishes, etc. Plus our flourishing peach, green apple, apricot, plum and citrus trees. BEAUTIFUL. Also, I was born and raised here and have always loved it. Kids play outside in front of my home all day everyday. I have two children who have had more friends here than anywhere else we have ever lived, and as far as going outside goes, really it is a trade off. When I lived in Utah, you spend the winters inside for three months. Here, either get a pool or spend three months of summer inside. It isn't so bad. My high school where I attended was awarded the National Merit scholar award for being rated the #1 high school in the country in 2004, and gilbert has great programs for sports, music, arts, dance, etc. The shopping here is beyond most rural areas, and there is a fantastic array of dining within a 30 min driving radius. Driving to the snow only takes 1 1/2 hours in the winter time, and then my kids get to get out and play in the fun white stuff. Gamage auditorium is near and frequently features fantastic events, and there is a small theater in down town gilbert, as well as various museums around for those who enjoy cultural experiences.

GREAT PLACE TO LIVE?
My 13 year old son was jumped by a group of kids that drove up in a car. Old enough to drive, obviously. Then they tell him they are jumping him because he's gay, take his shoes, smash his phone & is left wandering the streets all night. The gas station attendant wouldn't let him call anyone for help not even the police. The hate is still there even after ten years(hate group established there). Its a great place if you fit in, don't ever look different...

Because it is close enough to night life and things to do but far enough where you can have your peace and quiet at home. Gilbert has many freeways that can connect you to the major cities and airport. There is close shopping, friendly people, many golf resorts, and outdoor recreation nearby such as canyon and saguaro lake, many offroad quad riding trails and hiking trails. Yeah it can be a little hot during the summer but its dry heat. I come from the east coast and I prefer this heat over heat so humid. In the winter its perfect weather.

I have lived in Arizona for 12 years now. I have 2 kids, and HATE the fact that I have to raise them here (due to job and economic conditions, it is nearly impossible to sell my house, find a job practically anywhere else and move)
The summers are simply way too hot to do anything but sit at home and watch TV. It is unbearable to even drive to the movies or a mall to beat the heat...The spring, fall and winter are not as hot, but, face it, this is the desert, so everything is dusty, sandy and brown, so unless you are really into hiking,even hiking is not fun.
Because of the heat, or maybe the fact that most people living here are not originally from Arizona, people tend to keep to themselves, so you will almost never see kids playing even on a quiet cul de sac.
If you are into gardening, forget it--although it rarely ever freezes here, it is soooooo hot and dry for most of the year that cacti are the only plants you can grow around here. Since I am an avid gardener, I try to grow vegetables every year with very poor results--most vegetables literally cook on the vine before you get a chance to harvest them.
If you are the type that likes daytrips, don't bother, cause most places that are a couple of hours away look the same, and the drive is incredibly boring.
This is a great place if you are retired, can sleep all day, and spend all night gambling at nearby casinos. If you have pets, kids, hobbies or plan to have them, save yourself the agony and find somewhere else to live.

3 years ago, My husband and myself moved to Gilbert leaving family and friends behind. Although it was a major move, in retrospect the weather here is the reason we stay.
Many will state it is too hot in AZ for them, however, 3/4's of the year it is like living in spring time - between 70's and 80's all year long! It is not even a trade off to us as we have lived in many places where it either rained most of the year or snowed.
Notably, Gilbert is not the place for you if you are a snow bunny ;-), however if you love to be outside nearly all the year with the warmth cascading through your body, Gilbert is the place to be.
Now tell me, if you had a place to live with nice weather don't you think that would benefit you both in attitude and health? It sure has with us!

We have lived in Gilbert for more than 15 years. The summers are hot - June through September most days are over 100 degrees. However, the other 8 months, the weather is as good as it gets. The thing about summer is, without all the humidity, the heat doesn't feel that bad. There is some truth to "its a dry heat". The one thing about Gilbert, and Central / Southern Arizona in general, is that you have clear blue sky almost everyday. That makes up for a few months of heat.

I love Gilbert. I have lived here for 22 years. I have seen it grow from a population of 5,400 to the current 205,000 that it is now. It is the 22nd safest city in America. The crime rate is very low, thanks to to a great police department that operates with half the nationally recommended officers per 1,000 people. The violent crime rate is very low. There is a bit of a problem with property crimes, but it's not anywhere near as bad as surrounding cities. If you are interested in movoing to Arizona, the best city to live in is definitely Gilbert. The Schools are by far the best in the state, and the city (they actully call it a town) still has a small town feel to it. If you want safety and good schools, move to Gilbert.